ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

  

STUDENTS’ S’ PERCEPTION ON THE USE OF VIDEOS S

  

IN LEARNING ENG GLISH AT SMK NEGERI 2 DEPOK, YOGYA AKARTA

A Thesis

Presented ed as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

to O Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree

in English Language Education

  

By

Eveline Christina

Student Number: 041214097

  

ENGLISH LA ANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRA AM

DEPARTMEN NT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATIO

  ION FACULTY OF F TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATIO

ION SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY SA

  

STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION ON THE USE OF VIDEOS

  

IN LEARNING ENGLISH AT SMK NEGERI 2 DEPOK, YOGYAKARTA

A Thesis

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree

in English Language Education

  

By

Eveline Christina

Student Number: 041214097

  

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM

DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION

FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA

2009

  

ABSTRACT

Christina, Eveline. 2009. Students’ Perception on the Use of Videos in Learning

English at SMKN 2 Depok, Yogyakarta. Yogyakarta: Sanata Dharma University.

  There are a lot of factors that influence successful English learning. One of

them is perception. Perception influences students’ behavior and motivation to learn.

If students have positive perception, it will lead them to have high motivation in

learning. They will have positive behavior that can lead them to be successful in

obtaining the learning goal. If they have negative perception, it will lead them to have

negative behavior. Their negative behavior will lead them to the failure. Learning

English using videos is expected to help students since videos can interest students to

pay more attention to the English teaching and learning process. Therefore, the

knowledge of students’ perception on the use of videos in learning English can

inform teachers whether they should continue and improve using it for teaching their

students.

  This research investigated the students’ perception on the use of videos in

learning English at SMKN 2 Depok, Yogyakarta. There are two research problems to

be solved: (1) What is the students’ perception on the use of videos in learning

English at SMKN 2 Depok, Yogyakarta? (2) What are the recommendations to

improve and to maximize the use of videos in English learning at SMKN 2 Depok,

Yogyakarta?

  The research participants were second grade students of Teknik Komputer

Jaringan class. The researcher employed a survey research; she conducted the

research by observing the students’ behavior, distributing a questionnaire to them,

and interviewing six students of Teknik Komputer Jaringan class. The data were

collected from the results of the observations, the questionnaire and the interview.

  The findings showed that, in general, the students had positive perception on

the use of videos in their English learning. The students enjoyed the activities using

videos, they did not feel bored and they said that they obtained many advantages

through learning using videos such as they had new vocabularies, their English skills

such as listening and speaking improved, and their knowledge about western culture

increased. They also said that after learning using videos, they were curious to know

more about English such as the culture, habits and also the language itself. The

students recommended that the materials should be updated; they liked to have drama

and students’ presentation as other activities.

  Based on the results, there were many advantages that the students obtained.

However, the use of videos in SMKN 2 Depok, Yogyakarta should still be improved.

  

ABSTRAK

Christina, Eveline. 2009. Students’ Perception on the Use of Videos in Learning

English at SMKN 2 Depok, Yogyakarta. Yogyakarta: Universitas Sanata Dharma.

  Ada banyak faktor yang mempengaruhi keberhasilan dalam pembelajaran

bahasa Inggris. Salah satunya adalah persepsi. Persepsi mempengaruhi tingkah laku

siswa dan motivasi mereka dalam belajar. Jika siswa memiliki persepsi yang positif,

hal tersebut akan meningkatkan motivasi belajar siswa. Mereka akan berperilaku

positif yang akan membuat siswa berhasil mencapai tujuan belajar. Jika siswa

memiliki persepsi negatif, hal tersebut akan membuat siswa berperilaku negatif.

Perilaku negatif mereka akan membuat mereka gagal dalam belajar. Belajar bahasa

Inggris dengan video diharapkan dapat membantu siswa karena video dapat menarik

siswa untuk lebih memperhatikan dalam proses belajar mengajar bahasa Inggris.

Pengetahuan akan persepsi siswa dapat memberitahu guru apakah mereka harus

melanjutkan dan mengembangkan penggunaan video dalam mengajar siswa mereka.

  Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui persepsi siswa terhadap

penggunaan video dalam pembelajaran bahasa Inggris di SMKN 2 Depok,

Yogyakarta. Ada dua permasalahan yang harus dipecahkan: (1) Bagaimana persepsi

siswa terhadap penggunaan video dalam pembelajaran bahasa Inggris di SMKN 2

Depok, Yogyakarta? (2) Apa saran-saran untuk mengembangkan dan

memaksimalkan penggunaan video dalam pembelajaran bahasa Inggris di SMKN 2

Depok, Yogyakarta? Peserta dari penelitian ini adalah siswa Teknik Komputer Jaringan kelas 2.

Peneliti menggunakan metode survey; yaitu dengan cara mengamati tingkah laku

siswa, menyebar kuesioner, dan mewawancarai enam siswa. Data penelitian

dikumpulkan dari hasil observasi, kuesioner dan wawancara.

  Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa secara umum, siswa mempunyai

persepsi positif terhadap penggunaan video dalam pembelajaran bahasa Inggris

mereka. Siswa menikmati aktifitas dengan video, dan mereka mendapat banyak

keuntungan dengan belajar menggunakan video; seperti kosa kata Inggris dan

pengetahuan mereka akan budaya barat bertambah, ketrampilan mendengarkan dan

berbicara mereka mengalami kemajuan. Mereka juga menjadi ingin tahu lebih banyak

tentang Inggris seperti budayanya, kebiasaan dan bahasanya. Para siswa memberi

saran: materi video diperbaharui, ada tambahan aktifitas seperti drama dan presentasi.

  Meskipun ada banyak keuntungan yang diperoleh siswa, penggunaan video di

SMKN 2 Depok, Yogyakarta masih harus dikembangkan. Guru yang bersangkutan

harus menggali lebih banyak aktifitas terutama yang berkaitan dengan membaca

  

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Jesus Christ for

everything He had given to me. He guided me during the process of finishing my

thesis writing. He gave me strength to keep on trying whenever I gave up. He helped

me to find ways whenever problems raised so that I could survive. Without Him, I

could not finish my thesis.

  I would like to thank my sponsor, Made Frida Yulia, S.Pd., M.Pd., for her

guidance, patience, time, support and advice. Her comments, corrections and

suggestions for my thesis really helped me to finish it.

  I would like to thank Drs. Sutarto, the headmaster of SMKN 2 Depok, Yogyakarta, for the permission to conduct the research in this school.

  I would also like to thank Drs. Trisuko Bambang Wiyono and his family

for his permission to conduct the research in his class, for his willingness to help me

whenever I got confused in conducting the research, for their warmth whenever I was

at their home. I would thank Rina Candrawati, my best friend, who always helps

me. We like to share ideas, life experiences and we strengthen one another.

  I would like to express my gratitude to my parents, my sister, and my brother for their love, prayer, support and encouragement so that I could finish my thesis.

  I would also like to thank Mr. Benyamin and his wife, for their willingness

  

since my computer was out of order, to Ko Agus, Novi, and Extra Ordinary Youth

Zone (my church community) for their willingness to pray for me and gave me

encouragement so that I could finish my thesis.

  My special thanks go to my beloved partner, Ariyanto, S. Farm. I thank him

for his patience and prayer, for giving me endless love, support, affection,

encouragement, happiness and for helping me passed through this uncomfortable

moment.

  I would like to thank all my research participants, especially Ursula, Anggy,

Lely, Ardianto, Hajid, and Anggit. I thank their time and their willingness to be

interviewed.

  Finally, I would like to thank those whose names could not be mentioned here for their prayers and encouragement. I believe that God always blesses them all.

  Eveline Christina

  

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page TITLE PAGE…………………………………………………………………….. i

  

APPROVAL PAGES…………………………………………………………….. ii

STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY…………………………………… iv

ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………. v

ABSTRAK

  ………………………………………………………………………... vi

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………… vii

TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………………………………………… ix

LIST OF TABLES……………………………………………………………….. xii

LIST OF FIGURES………………………………………………………………. xiii

LIST OF APPENDICES…………………………………………………………. xiv

CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION A. Research Background…………………………………………. 1 B. Problem Formulation …………………………………………. 3 C. Problem Limitation……………………………………………. 3 D. Research Objectives…………………………………………… 3 E. Research Benefits……………………………………………… 4 F. Definition of Terms……………………………………………. 5 CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE A. Theoretical Description……………………………………….. 7

1. Theory of Perception………………………………………. 7

  a. Definition of Perception………………………………... 7

b. Perception on Learning………………………………… 9

  a. Definition of Motivation……………………………….. 10

  b. Importance of Motivation……………………………… 11

  c. The Relation among Perception, Motivation and Emotion…………………………………………… 12

3. Theory of Cognitive Development………………………… 12

  a. Sensorimotor Stage……………………………………... 13

  b. Pre-Operational Stage…………………………………... 13

  c. Concrete Operational Stage……………………………. 13

  d. Formal Operational Stage……………………………… 14

4. Theory of Learning English Using Videos…………………. 15

B. Theoretical Framework………………………………………… 20

CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY A. Research Method……………………………………………… 23 B. Research Participants………………………………………… 24 C. Research Instruments…………………………………………. 24 1. The Observation Checklist……………………………….. 25 2. The Questionnaire………………………………………… 26 3. The Interview Guide……………………………………… 28 D. Data Gathering Technique……………………………………. 29 E. Data Analysis Technique……………………………………… 30 F. Research Procedures………………………………………….. 32 CHAPTER IV. RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION A. Student’s Perception on the use of Videos in learning English………………………………………………………… 34 1.

  Process Using Videos……………………………………… 34 2. Students’ Perception on the Activities, Motivation and Implication on the Use of Videos in Learning

  English Based on the Questionnaire……………………… .41 3. Students’ Perception on the Activities, Motivation and Implication on the Use of Videos in Learning

  English Based on the Interview……………………………. 54 a.

  Students’ Perception on the Activities Using Videos…………………………………………………… 54 b.

  Students’ Perception on the Motivation after Learning Using Videos…………………………………………… 57 c.

  Students’ Perception on the Implication after Learning Using Videos………………………………… 61 B.

  Students’ Recommendation to Improve and to Maximize the Use of Videos in English Learning………………………… 64

  CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS A. Conclusions…………………………………………………….. 67 1. Students’ Perception on the Use of Videos in Learning English ……………………………………………. 67 2. Students’ Recommendations to Improve and to Maximize the Use of Videos in Learning English………………………. 68 B.

  Suggestions……………………………………………………... 69

REFERENCES… ....................................................................................................... 71

APPENDICES……………………………………………………………………….73

  

LIST OF TABLES

Table

  4.1 Frequency of the Students’ Responses to Each Statement of the Questionnaire…………………………………………………………….. 84

  4.2 Percentage of the Students’ Responses to Each Statement of the Questionnaire…………………………………………………………….. 85

  

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Figure 1 Students’ responses to

  “The activities used in my class are various”…….....……………….. 42 Figure 2 Students’ responses to “The activities help me to improve my English skills”……………… 42 Figure 3 Students’ responses to “Watching videos with the sound off activates my mind to think what the videos tell about”………………43 Figure 4 Students’ responses to “Watching videos with the sound on enhances my comprehension”………………..………………………44 Figure 5 Students’ responses to “I am active in answering questions from my teacher……………… 46 Figure 6 Students’ responses to “I am eager to know everything about English”……………………...46 Figure 7 Students’ responses to “I do the assignment given seriously”………………………………. 47 Figure 8 Students’ responses to “I listen and watch the videos seriously”……………………………..48 Figure 9 Students’ responses to “I am enthusiastic to learn English using video in the next meeting”……………………………………...49

Figure 10 Students’ responses to “My vocabulary list increases”……………… 50

  

Figure 11 Students’ responses to “My listening skill improves”…..................... 51

Figure 12 Students’ responses to “My speaking skill improves”………………. 51

Figure 13 Students’ responses to “My knowledge about foreign culture and its habits increase”………………………………………………. 53

LIST OF APPENDICES

  Appendix A.

  The Observation Checklist…………………………………………………. 74 B. The Interview Guide………………………………………………………… 77 C. The Questionnaire………………………………………………………….. 79 D. The Raw Data of the Questionnaire………………………………………… 81 E. The Frequency and Percentage of Students’ Responses to Each Statement of the Questionnaire……………………………………………………………. 83

  F.

  The Students’ Interview Transcript………………………………………… 86

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION This research investigates the students’ perception on the use of videos in English learning. This chapter presents six parts: (1) research background, (2)

  problem formulation, (3) problem limitation, (4) research objectives, (5) research benefits, and (6) definition of terms.

A. Research Background

  As an international language, English is learnt by all people in the world including Indonesia. Most schools in Indonesia have English as their compulsory subject. Students have to be able either to communicate or to write in English in order to face the globalization era. There is an expectation that students can learn English successfully.

  There are a lot of factors that influence successful English learning. One of the factors is perception. Perception is defined as the way human perceives the world (Sternberg, 1988: 8). Perception is very important because it can influence students’ motivation in learning and behavior or attitudes (Bootzin, 1983: 120). If the students have positive perception, it will lead them to be successful in obtaining the goal because it makes students have high motivation to learn. They will have positive behaviors, which can be seen through their interest in the target that is being perceived. If their perception is negative, their learning will fail learning strategies (Ames, 1988: 260). After knowing students’ perception, teacher can plan appropriate teaching-learning process.

  There are a lot of ways in English teaching-learning process. Teachers can use technology because through it, the activities can be more varied. Among the various technologies that are available, videos are suitable to be used in the teaching-learning process because it can convey the information or knowledge in a more interesting way and gives pictures of complicated context (Cognition and Technology Group as cited in Choi, 1992).

  Videos permit second language learners to observe the dynamics of communications as they observe native speakers in real situation and use different accents, registers, and paralinguistic cues such as posture and gestures (Secules, Herron, Tomasello, 1992: 480). Videos also encourage learners in reasoning, thinking, and solving problems by bringing them to real world situations. Through videos, students’ problem solving skills can be enhanced.

  Moreover, Senior High School students like to have visual aids in their learning and videos can provide it. The use of videos in English teaching-learning is expected to help students to be easier in learning English although sometimes it does not work as it is expected. Teachers sometimes have dissatisfaction to the students because they do not actively participate in the learning while the students feel that the instructional activities are different from their preconceived perception on language learning. This unexpected situation can appear less when teachers know their students’ perception. The knowledge of students’ perception language learning. Therefore, this research is conducted to find out students’ perception on the use of videos in English teaching-learning process.

  B. Problem Formulation

  The study would address two questions: 1. What is the students’ perception on the use of videos in learning English at

  SMK Negeri 2 Depok, Yogyakarta? 2.

  What are the recommendations to improve and to maximize the use of videos in English learning at SMK Negeri 2 Depok, Yogyakarta?

  C. Problem Limitation

  The research is focused on finding students’ perception on the use of videos in English learning and finding recommendations to improve and to maximize the use of videos in English learning. The research is conducted at SMK

  

Negeri 2 Depok, Yogyakarta. The school is chosen because it uses videos in its

  English learning and it is also open for any educational researches. The researcher conducts the research in the second grade of Teknik Komputer Jaringan class.

  This class is chosen because it is accessible for conducting the research and there is time suitability between the schedule of the English lesson and the researcher.

  D. Research Objectives

  Based on the problem formulation, this research has two objectives: 1. To know the students’ perception on the use of videos in learning English at SMK Negeri 2 Depok, Yogyakarta.

2. To obtain the recommendations in order to improve and to maximize the use of videos in English learning at SMK Negeri 2 Depok, Yogyakarta.

E. Research Benefits

  This research gives benefits to the English teachers of SMK Negeri 2

  

Depok, Yogyakarta, and university students who are interested in conducting

research on the use of videos in learning English.

  1. English Teachers of SMK Negeri 2 Depok, Yogyakarta.

  This research will help teachers to understand the importance of students’ perception on the use of videos in English learning. If teachers know that students have positive perception, they can consider the use of videos in teaching their students. On the other hand, if teachers know that students have negative perception, they have to find what makes the students have negative perception on the use of videos in English learning because through the theory, learning English using videos gives many benefits to the students. Teachers can improve the activities or the methods or the video materials in order to fulfill students’ needs in English learning.

  2. University students The results of the research are expected to help university students who are interested in conducting research on learning English using videos. They may use the results of this research for their own research on related issues of videos in

  English learning. They can develop the research on other aspects of the use of videos in English learning.

F. Definition of Terms

  Below are the terms which need to be defined in order to avoid misunderstanding. They are:

  1. Perception The definition of perception is “the act of perceiving by the senses or intellect or by the mind of what is presented to them; discernment, cognition” as cited in http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/perception. Perception, in this research, refers to second grade Senior High School students’ perception on the use of videos, which can be seen through the activities in the English teaching- learning process. What is meant by students’ perception is how students see and think about their English teaching-learning process using videos at school, whether the teaching learning process using videos can fulfill students’ needs or not, whether the activities are interesting or not, whether students’ English skill improve or not, whether the teaching-learning is successful or not.

  2. Videos in English Learning The definition of videos according to Wikipedia dictionary, as cited in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Videos, is “the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a

  Richards (1999: 1), videos in English learning contains a mix of entertaining, dramatized sequences and authentic documentaries in which students can learn many varied materials in their English learning. Students can learn culture, grammar, vocabulary and many other topics. Videos in this research refer to the materials which provide sound and picture such as monolog, dialog, stories and songs. The materials are used in English teaching-learning process of second

  , grade Senior High School student at SMK Negeri 2 Depok Yogyakarta.

3. SMK Negeri 2 Depok, Yogyakarta

  SMK Negeri 2 Depok, Yogyakarta is a school where the students learn

  English using videos. The teachers use videos in order to help the students in understanding the English, and also to make the students more enthusiastic in learning English. The teachers have some activities which are related to the use of videos. They are watching videos with the sound off, watching videos with the sound on, watching videos by pausing, and the last is guessing the ending of the story in the videos. The video materials can be used to teach grammar, vocabulary, culture and also songs. From forty-eight meetings, the teachers use twenty-four meetings for teaching English using videos.

CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE This chapter discusses theoretical description and theoretical framework. Theoretical description discusses some theories related to the research, while

  theoretical framework discusses major relevant theories which help to answer the research questions.

A. Theoretical Description

  There are four major areas discussed; they are theory of perception, theory of motivation, theory of cognitive development, and theory of learning English using videos.

  1. Theory of Perception This part presents theory of perception including definition of perception and perception in learning.

a. Definition of Perception

  According to Sternberg (1988: 8), perception is defined as the way a person gives meaning to the world. It needs a cognitive thought, which might help someone to achieve a meaningful interpretation. Moreover, Kreitner and Kinichki (1992: 126) add “perception is a mental and cognitive process that enables people to interpret and understand the surroundings.”

  This research uses definition of perception that is synthesized from the that the messages can be meaningfully interpreted. The forming of perception is influenced by experience and human sensory senses. Even though some people are given the same stimuli, they will see, think and give response to the stimuli differently. It is because the forming of perception is subjective. However, perception does not solely involve sensory processes but also a mental process. Hardy and Heyes as cited in Kurniyati (2006: 9) state that “the basic form of perception is people’s born talent; meanwhile perceptional ability is the result of learning, which is determined by the environment.”

  Perception on something can affect one’s behavior toward it. When someone understands the stimuli that he receives, he will give response to the stimuli. If someone believes that the stimuli fulfill his needs and expectation, it will make him have positive perception on the stimuli. Every person has different perception based on his needs and expectation.

  Expectation and previous experience constantly interact with one another to influence our perception of sensory events...Perception is also substantially influenced by our motivation and needs.…Our expectation, past experiences, and psychological states combine, setting us to perceive the world in certain ways. (Bootzin, 1983: 119-120) There are three steps in the process of forming perception; those are 1) attention to the stimuli, 2) recognition and interpretation of the stimuli into some messages, 3) action in responding the messages. It can be said that perception is a form of behavior that allows individuals to interact with or adjust to the varying demands of environment.

b. Perception on Learning

  Perception on learning has relation with belief and concept. Perception on learning has connection with belief about knowledge that can influence students’ behavior toward the learning. It means that perception on learning has a big role in the process of obtaining the knowledge.

  There is a system that relates the concept with the environment. The concept is formed by the stimuli that come from the environment. This system is called interactive system. It has three elements; those are presage, process and product or learning outcome (Biggs, 1992: 3-6).

  1) Presage

  Presage is an indicator of future occurrence. It includes learning conception and learning context such as teachers and school attributes, and also students’ understanding about knowledge. The examples of presage are educational practices, students’ preparation, and the procedures of assessment.

  2) Process

  Process is a factor that includes students’ perception on the learning environment and specific learning strategies that they experience in learning tasks.

  Learning strategies have a role in influencing the process of learning. An example of process is a process how students learn the target materials during English teaching-learning activities.

3) Product Product or learning outcome is influenced by the learning strategies used.

  Students can have good learning outcome when the learning strategies that are used are suitable for them, which can make them have positive perception on the learning. Students’ perception on English learning is influenced by the implementation of English teaching-learning activities.

  The three elements above are mentioned in five elements of language teaching-learning activities that build students’ perception by Champbell (2001: 173-186). Those are 1) the way the teacher teaches the students, 2) what kind of material that the teacher wants the students to learn, 3) how the students behave in class during the process of learning, 4) what material that the students learn, and 5) what the goals of learning the language are.

  In perception on learning, the students’ behavior can be changed through the process of learning. For instance, at first, a student experiences that speaking activity is difficult. However, since speaking activities are adjusted to the students’ condition and interest, he, then, considers the speaking activities interesting. This theory helps the researcher analyzes parts of perception on learning using videos from the students that need to be observed.

  Theory of Motivation in Learning a. Definition of Motivation

  According to Kleinginna and Kleinginna as cited in Huitt (2001), the it ways, desire that strengthens and leads to goal-oriented behavior. Motivation also strengthens the influence of needs and desires on the intensity and direction of behavior.

b. Importance of Motivation

  Motivation is very important in the learning process because according to cognitive approach called attribution theory, motivation influences individual’s behavior in the learning process. It brings the individual to the success or failure.

  Motivation refers to goal-directed behavior, and when one is attempting to measure motivation and attention, it can be directed toward a number of features of the individual. The motivated individual expends effort; he is persistent and pays attention to the task at hand; he has goals, desires, and aspirations; he enjoys the activity; he experiences reinforcement from success and disappointment from failure, and he makes strategies to aid in achieving goals. That is, the motivated individual exhibits many behavior, feelings, cognitions, and the individual who is unmotivated does not.

  There are two types of motivation: integrative motivation and instrumental motivation. Integrative motivation is motivation that comes from the students themselves to learn the target language without any outside factors that influence them. On the other hand, instrumental motivation is motivation that comes because there are factors from outside that force the students to learn the target language, for instance, they learn English because they have to pass the English

  Another reason why motivation is very important is because it can influence students’ attitudes toward the learning. Students will be successful when they have integrative motivation. There is strong support for the proposition that integrative motivation promotes successful second language acquisition, as has been proposed and shown in many studies (Gardner and Lambert, 1972)

  Motivation has connection to attitudes. If students have positive attitudes toward the learning, it means that they have high motivation. On the other hand, if students have negative attitudes toward the learning, it means that they have low motivation. If students have low motivation, it can lead them to the failure.

c. The Relation among Perception, Motivation, and Emotion

  Perception and motivation are two important things which can influence people’s attitude toward the learning process. The interaction between perception of environment or stimuli and subjective cognitive can give a result called emotion. Emotion can influence people’s feeling. Emotion has relation with motivation; when people have negative emotion such as anger, it can influence their motivations which then affect their attitudes toward the learning. It means that in the learning process, if people have bad feeling, it can make their motivation lower than usual, and it can lead them to the failure.

2. Theory of Cognitive Development

  Jean Piaget (as cited in Barry, 2003), the most influential researcher in the into four stages. The four stages are sensorimotor stage, pre-operational stage, concrete operational stage, and formal operational stage. Below are the explanations of each stage.

  a.

  Sensorimotor Stage Infancy until the age of 2 is included in this stage. During this stage, a child learns about himself and his environment through motor actions. His thought derives from sensation and movement. Teaching for a child in this stage should be carried on to the sensorimotor system.

  b.

  Pre-operational Stage Toddler and Early Childhood at about age 7 are included in this stage. In this period, the child begins to use symbols to represent objects. The child learns to think about things and events that are not immediately present. His thinking is influenced by fantasy such as what he would like things to be. He creates his own imagination.

  c.

  Concrete Operational Stage A child about first grade to early adolescence is included in this stage. In this period, the child develops an ability to think abstractly and to make rational judgments about concrete or observable phenomena. In teaching this child, giving him an opportunity to ask questions and to explain things back to the teacher allows him to mentally manipulate the information. d.

  Formal Operational Stage Adolescence is included in this stage. This person no longer requires concrete objects to make rational judgments. His intelligence is showed through the logical use of symbols related to abstract concepts.

  According to Piaget’s stages of cognitive development above, the age of Senior High School is included in formal operational stage (12 years old – adult).

  The formal operational period is the fourth and final of the periods of cognitive development in this theory. This stage, which follows the Concrete Operational, commences at around 12 years of age (puberty) and continues into adulthood. It is characterized by acquisition of the ability to think abstractly, reason logically and draw conclusions from the information available. During this stage, the young adult is able to understand such things as love, “shades of gray”, logical proofs, and values.

  It is also said that the age of sixteen, in which more or less at the same age as second grade Senior High School students, students’ ability to think and understand something meaningfully is developed. However, students at this age prefer paying attention to the things that interest them. Therefore, teaching and learning activity must be carefully designed in order to attract students’ attention.